Outdated, judgemental and not funny.
Alex Low continues to sculpt his show Roller Ghoster on the character, ‘Clinton Baptiste’, from Phoenix Nights. This is part of a seven-month tour that takes him across the country on over 90 dates. The Channel 4 sitcom was based on The Phoenix Club, a working men’s club in the northern English town of Bolton, Greater Manchester. The series and its characters have become legendary, popular with adults in their mid-50s and Clinton, as the “celebrity clairvoyant”, holds a special place in people’s hearts.
Alex Low arrives on stage dressed in a snazzy suit with dazzling stones on his fingers and his hair in a puff. The show certainly has its fan following, with not many empty seats across Leicester Square Theatre on a Saturday night.
However, the stand-up show appears to have not seasoned like fine wine. It works on the discarded pattern of stand-up comedians asking their audience for a suggestion and completely disregarding it. It also recreates problematic troupes and normalises racist, sexist, and offensive behaviour on stage. There is a deep reluctance to move with the times and learn how to treat women and those from marginalised communities with the respect they are due. Alex laments how one can’t say ‘anything’ these days.
One wonders what it would take for some white men to learn that one’s behaviour is offensive to another and just stop repeating it. It’s not cool to make fun of your audience and be rude under the guise of speaking to a spirit. It is very disappointing. It’s surprising to find a room full of women and men finding it funny in this time and age. Comedy is a tool of great craft; we can push boundaries, we can satirise those in power, and we can throw light on the normalised imperialism Britain has outsourced to this world. The working-class clubs have different clientele, and Alex Low seems to be out of touch with the reality of some. Listening to his podcast shows Alex is a great listener, but somehow, he seems disconnected and does not let himself be moved by what he sees and experiences from the world changing around him.
Reviewer: Anisha Pucadyil
Reviewed: 11th May 2024
North West End UK Rating: